First Anniversary
by tlw13
Summary: Kat and Patrick reminisce on their first year together. Not part of my series. Disclaimer: I do not own any of the 10 Things I Hate About You characters.
1. Kat's POV

AN: This is not part of my series. It is just a random one shot. Enjoy!

Kat's POV

I have never felt safer.

The breeze came through the window, rustling the curtains and bringing the scent of morning dew into my bedroom. The sun's rays landed gently on my face and warmed me. My comforter covered me all the way to my neck, keeping the cold air from hitting my body. The contrast of my satin pajama shorts and cotton t-shirt felt amazing on my skin. All of these sensations, I felt as I woke up slowly to a new day.

None of them is the reason I feel so safe.

The pale arm lying under my head and pillow and the other arm over my waist, holding me closely against a warm, male body were the true cause. I mumbled quietly, not wanting my words to travel through any walls.

"Morning."

The arm at my waist tightened slightly, while the over started sliding through my brown hair.

"Hello, my beautiful Katharina."

I turned over to face my boyfriend of exactly one year, looked up into his eyes, and blushed slightly. I couldn't help it.

"There's no need to blush, babe. How are you feeling?"

"Like I just experienced the best night of my life. You?"

"Same. Happy One Year Anniversary."

He leaned down and kissed me softly, then with more passion as the kiss progressed. I released his lips and laid my head on his chest, breathing in the scent of his aftershave. I couldn't believe it had been a year already. Time had definitely flown by.

Patrick and I hadn't started off on a bright note, but our bickering had eventually morphed into a surprising friendship. After a couple of months of hanging out pretty much every day, Patrick had decided that we were dating and told me so. I wasn't going to give into him that easily though, so I made him work like crazy to get me to agree to go on a date with him. The final challenge was meeting my dad. Surprisingly enough, he passed with flying colors. Turns out my dad had detected a change in me those last couple months, and connecting the dots, he decided that at least Patrick wasn't a bad influence on me. Of course, we were not allowed in the house alone and he took off my door until a couple months ago. Our relationship wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, but then again, we were Kat Stratford and Patrick Verona.

Then the day came that almost destroyed our relationship. In the end it made us stronger than ever.

_His shop class buddies were hounding Patrick. He and I had just recently come out publicly about our relationship, and it was big news in the rumor mill. They had wanted to know how far he had gotten with me. Wanted details. I guess Patrick had been pretty open to them before, but he wasn't about us. The guys decided that his silence meant he couldn't "get any" from me; he was "losing his touch". He told them to back off and gave his infamous glare, but later that night he admitted that it had really bothered him that they had said that._

_That night Patrick and I were together in my room, since only Bianca was in the house. We had been making out on my bed, when Patrick put his hand under the back of my shirt and headed towards my bra clip. He had never tried that before, knowing how I felt about keeping our clothes on. _

_I pulled away from him._

"_Stop."_

"_Lighten up and have some fun. Come on Kitty."_

_Only one other person had called me that nickname, and he wasn't someone I ever wanted to think about again. I freaked out. Pushed Patrick off me and scrambled off the bed. I refused to look him in the eye._

"_Get out. I don't want you here."_

"_Kat-"_

"_Leave!"_

"_You're overreacting, Kat."_

"_I am not overreacting! You know nothing! Go away, find someone easy to get your fix, because it's not going to happen with me."_

_I had started crying by this time, holding my arms around my stomach in a protective position. My breath started getting shorter and faster._

"_Kat, you need to breathe. I'm not going to hurt you, but I'm not leaving until you calm down."_

_Eventually I calmed down enough to get my breath back. He had apologized over and over again, telling me about the guys in shop. He admitted that it had struck a nerve with him, because he felt like I didn't want him as much as he wanted me. I could see the hurt in his eyes and realized it was time to tell him about my past._

I told him about Michael, my first and only other boyfriend. I told him about the night that he tried to get me to do some things I wasn't comfortable with. About how he took matters into his own hands and hurt me. Patrick had been livid. At first I worried that it was directed at me, but he assured me that it was Michael he wanted to have ten minutes alone with in a dark alley.

We had let out a lot of emotions that night, and he told me that he understood why I felt the way I do about intimacy. He never pushed me in that way. Our relationship has progressed since then, and now I was with him on my bed. It was my gift to him. Not sex. I still wasn't ready for that, though I was close. Patrick said he wanted to spend the whole day with me as my gift to him. I understood what he meant, and agreed that it would be the perfect gift for me as well. He arrived at my window at 11:55 p.m. last night, and by midnight I was in his arms.

Trusting him to be in my bed all night and not try to push for more than what we already did was my gift to him.

Holding me in his arms all night and making me feel safe and loved was his gift to me.

It was the perfect way to start our anniversary. I couldn't wait for the day ahead.

AN: Just a little something that wouldn't leave my mind, even after a fire drill and being locked out of my room interrupted its coming together. What did you think? Different than my usual writing, but I wanted to give first person a try. Any interest in Patrick's POV?


	2. Patrick's POV

Patrick's POV

I had never felt more rested.

The light breeze coming through the open window and the sun's rays warming my skin were a big change from my usual morning wake up. My room's small window faced a brick wall, so I never really saw the sun until I went outside. One of the reasons I loved my motorcycle so much. Open air and the sun shining were great aspects of any day. But no day had ever started as well as this one.

The small, curvy body lying in front of me was the true cause for such a great wake up call. Her head laid on one of my arms and a small sliver of her skin was touching my other hand, where I held her to me by her stomach. Her haired smelled like lavender and coconut, a surprisingly delicious combination. She shifted slightly and mumbled, "Morning". I tightened my hold, since I knew for certain that she was awake. My arm bent slightly, allowing my hand to pass through her soft hair in a soothing motion for us both.

"Hello, my beautiful Katharina."

She turned around to face me and looked up at me. I could see a slight blush spreading on her cheeks. She looked adorable shy, something that she rarely felt, I knew.

"There's no need to blush, babe. How are you feeling?"

"Like I just experienced the best night of my life. You?"

"Same. Happy One Year Anniversary."

I leaned down to give her a good morning kiss. I tried to keep it soft and slow, but eventually I couldn't control myself and let our passion take control for a bit. She pulled away when she needed oxygen and laid her head on my chest. She fit so perfectly against me. I couldn't believe could fast the year had gone by.

Kat and I had started out on shaky ground. At first, bickering with her had been a fun past-time during dreaded school days, but soon I realized that she was different from all the others I have had any interest in during the past few years. Eventually, I decided to set the record straight and tell Kat we were dating. I knew that I would get nowhere asking her, so telling her seemed the best course of action. Of course, nothing could be so easy with Kat. She made me prove that I wanted more than just some quick fun with her. Meeting her dad sounded like a trip to Hell, but the guy was surprisingly chill about me dating her daughter. I didn't mention our private conversation slash threat to castrate me, to Kat. I understood why he was so protective. He had strict rules about when and where I could see her (he even went to so far as to take down her bedroom door), but we got into the swing of things without too much trouble. But of course, she was Kat Stratford and I was Patrick Verona, so something majorly volatile had to happen. I almost lost her that day, but I was lucky and she gave me another chance.

_My shop class friends were hounding me_. _Kat and I had just recently come out as a couple, and it ended up making headline news in the Padua High rumor mill. The guys had wanted some details about how far I had gotten with her. I had never been shy about giving away a couple details, but I didn't want anyone else to know such intimate details about Kat. Only I had a right to that information. They decided my lack of details meant I hadn't gotten anywhere with her, that I had "lost my touch". I knew they had no clue what went on between us, but it still hit a nerve. I hadn't gotten that far with her, and I was beginning to wonder if she was using me for her reputation, like the others. I had explained to her afterwards why it affected me so much, but it was too late to prevent me from hurting her._

_That night Kat and I were together in her room, since only her sister was in the house. We had been making out on the bed, when I put my hand under the back of her shirt and headed towards the bra clip. I had never done that before, but I was feeling hurt and decided to push a bit. She had told me that clothes had to stay on, but I decided to see if they had to stay in place. Before I could reach the clip, she pulled away from me._

"_Stop."_

"_Lighten up and have some fun. Come on Kitty."_

_I had never called her that, preferring to use her full name or "babe". She shoved me away from her and stood with her back against the far wall of her room, keeping her eyes on the floor._

"_Get out. I don't want you here."_

"_Kat-"_

"_Leave!"_

"_You're overreacting, Kat."_

"_I am not overreacting! You know nothing! Go away, find someone easy to get your fix, because it's not going to happen with me."_

_She was crying at this point, holding her arms protectively around herself. I had realized something was very wrong, especially when she started having problems breathing._

"_Kat, you need to breathe. I'm not going to hurt you, but I'm not leaving until you calm down."_

Eventually she let me hold her and her breathing went back to normal. I kept apologizing over and over again with my lips against her ear. I couldn't believe I had let the guys affect me so much that I hurt one of the few people I cared about in this world. I needed to make it up to her, so I let her see how uncertain I was about whether or not she truly wanted to be with me, or just Padua's bad boy. She assured me that it was me she truly wanted, then told me about her past.

She told me about this guy she used to date, Michael. How he had pushed her for more than what she was willing to give, and forced her into some actions when she kept saying no. I had never thought I could feel such rage as I did in that moment. Though my rep was pretty scary, I knew I wasn't the violent kind. Now I wasn't so sure. She had looked worried after telling me, and I realized she must see the hatred in my eyes. I told her all of it was directed at this guy, that she had done nothing wrong.

We had shared a lot to each other that night, and I made sure she believed me when I told her I wouldn't push her again. And I didn't. Over time our physical relationship has gotten more intimate, and now I was in her bed, one year after it all started. We hadn't had sex; she wasn't ready for that yet, though I could feel her getting more and more comfortable as time passed. I had asked for the whole day with her as my anniversary gift, and Kat being Kat, understood my hidden meaning. She thought it was the perfect gift to share with each other, so I arrived at her house five minutes before midnight last night and had her in my arms the very moment the day began.

Holding her in my arms all night and making her feel safe and loved was my gift to her.

Trusting me to be in her bed and not try to push for more than what we already did was her gift to me.

It was the perfect way to start our anniversary. I couldn't wait for the day ahead.

AN: Sorry it took so long. Hope you enjoyed it. Please review.


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